Soul whispers

Suspended in limbo

Soft, soft whispers of my soul

Saying quietly, ‘hold on, just hold on’

Through darkest night

It keeps telling me, ‘hold on’

“Nothing lasts forever”,

That gentle voice went on,

“Even things you wish could

Whether the day is grim and bitter,

Whether the sun shines warm upon your skin

Just hold on

Whether icy winds feel like talons,

Breaking all your bones

Hold on

Whether your heart feels frozen stiff,

Or is melting like ice cream in July

Hold on

Whether the scent of lilacs waft upon a gentle breeze

Or pine trees bend in terrible tempests

Hold on

Savor the sweetness when it comes

And hold on

Nothing lasts forever

And there is little you can do

But hold on, hold on”

Cocooned

I am in a rut

But I am comfortable here

There is calm in the sameness

Like a caterpillar in a cocoon

I am safe, protected

Walled in from all harm

I many not be living

But existence is so fine

May I stay a little longer,

Wrapped in this cocoon of mine?

Rest from Life’s battles

Do not sit staring into the darkness overlong

Do not gaze into the abyss so long that you become embittered

Leave it now, take the hand of the Divine One and be led

Through deepest forests where the scent of pine is fresh and cool,

Along white beaches with the sand warm beneath your feet,

Climb to the mountain peaks and gaze in wonder at the earth below you,

Stand on rocky cliffs and allow the majesty of the sea to remind you,

Life is not all turmoil and drudgery; it is not meant to be so bleak and joyless

Do not let these dark days bind you, enslave you, consume you

Do not drown in the toxic waters of hate; of unforgiveness

Come, be filled with a new life of joy and well-being

Rest from your worries and the endless, wearisome, ongoing fight

Be nurtured, for the battle will rage on long after your life is spent

What will you choose today, for you have been given freedom of thought

Honor this life you’ve been given and look up, away from the darkness

Look upon the infant’s face or gaze into the eyes of the old ones, filled with wisdom

Hold the hands of your loved ones and know you have not been abandoned

Take this day and rest from your sorrows and the ongoing battle

Know the Divine One is here at your side to uphold you, to comfort you in your pain

Know you are never, ever alone, even through these dark and painful days,

And take leave of this great abyss to which you’ve been ensnared

Be joyful today and remember who you are, who you have been created to be:

A blessing, a benediction to a suffering world in travail and be, just be

For you are part of the beauty created and recreated today and every day

Be recreated today. Be reborn in love, in peace, in joy, in all that is good.

Come, now, look no further into the abyss. Look up, my dear ones, look up!

Beauty disguised

Conflicted

Wanting your praise

Even as I reject it

Needing your approval

Even as I strive to do without it

Hating being objectified

Like some ‘thing’ of beauty

And craving affirmation

As I am

Feelings of never being enough

Not good enough

Not smart enough

Not pretty enough

Not thin enough

Not wise enough

Not quick enough

Not enough

And then you left

Without apology

For feeding my insecurities

And I faltered yet again

Threw away everything

 that reminded me of you

And it is only now,

Today,

That I came to know

I am enough

Just as I am

And you . . .

You were so wrong

So misguided

So blind

And I pity you

For never seeing

Never recognizing

Never knowing

The truth I hold

In beauty disguised

To sing a triumph song once more

For on the morrow we shall rise

And know again that life goes on

Despite the actions of the few

That imperil and cause such strife

The questions fade, it matters not

We’ll pick up the pieces and carry on

Never forgetting the price once paid

When ignorance married arrogance,

That set the world on edge,

and filled each and every human heart

with anxiety.

Deepest hurts we’ll tend and heal

With gentle touch and love most real

The stress and worry once endured

Shall tumble down like twigs and sticks

Caught in rushing waters

Anguish and pain, likewise caught,

Shall float away upon the rivers of time

Carried, carried, far away

Until at last we stand again on steady legs,

With bodies strong,

With sturdy minds and hearts aglow,

With clear eyes and ears attuned

To hear the whispers and the roar

Of a world singing triumph songs

Once more

Dancing in my dreams

Moon beams dancing upon rooftops

How I wish I could join in

Weary legs, broken feet

Dance only in memories

Moon beams competing with the sun

No way to outshine that heated glory

And I, with worn body feel her pain.

She just doesn’t have it in her

To light the world that way

Moonbeams, does she not yet know

How she feeds our souls

And I, with my youth long spent,

Gaze up into the night skies

Wishing to touch the moon

For her glory, too, is faded

When compared with a sun so bright

So age to youth is seen

A pale shadow of what was once

And yet, and still, there’s a soul dance

Like moon beams on rooftops

And still alive am I

Dancing in my dreams

A Prayer to Encourage

Divine One grant me strength

To serve with love and compassion

With wisdom beyond my own

Grant me:

Energy when I am weak

Rest when I am weary

Inspiration when I am hopeless

Quenching waters for my thirst

And calm in the midst of storms

Divine One, come,

Fill me when I am empty

Comfort me in my sorrow

Give healing for my soul

Please take my hand and hold it

When I feel so all alone

For when the night is darkest

And when my tasks are done

Let your peace be my pillow

My blanket, trust sublime

And then,

Help me when a new day dawns

To do it all again

Back where we belong

Draw strength from this, my child

That though my arms cannot hold you

You are enfolded in my love

My thoughts reach out

To swirl around you

Can you feel my love?

Do not cry my dear one

Do not grieve or mourn

My essence I am sending to you

In the notes of my song

Draw strength from me, my dear one

For I have lived and loved so long

Let my words caress your heart

And know, that together or apart

We cannot be divided

We have been one from the very start

Nothing can come between us

And though I too yearn for you

I know this storm shall pass

It will not last forever

Soon we shall all be home

So, take comfort in my message

Be brave, dearest one, be strong

And before we know it

We will be back where we belong

A poem to honor those who have died from the Corona virus and a prayer for strength

To rise again tomorrow

I blocked my ears, so as not to hear the bells toll on and on

And covered my eyes so as not to see

The long, long procession

of army jeeps and freezer trucks

Carrying precious cargo

No graveside prayers, no “dust to dust”

As contagion cancelled all tradition

No floral bouquets, no wreaths of green

Or hymns sang loud and clearly

No eulogy, no words at all

Save those whispered in anguished voice imprisoned

By grieving souls in isolation

So, bless these bodies, God, we pray

And bring us consolation

For loved ones gone

For those left behind

Who grieve without help or closure

It’s been one hundred years or more

Since our world’s seen such calamity

Or felt so deeply forsaken

We need you now, more than ever, Lord

Please hasten to our aid

Please dry these bitter tears

And If I may prevail, dear God,

Protect us from all fears

Renew our weakened faith,

And lend to us your powerful strength

To rise again tomorrow

The warning on the label

Pandora’s box lay in splinters

Upon the blood-soaked sand

It’s indiscriminate fatal poison

Leaking drop by drop into the ground

And though the waves lapped over it

Then carried it out to sea

It never would be diluted

As ocean currents carried it

To lands both near and far

Pandora’s crumpled form

Lay inert upon the shore,

her head between her hands

She wails and shrieks

She keens and begs

To go back, just once, in time

To recall the curiosity

That led to all the gloom

That feeds on fear and upon itself

And leads to great downfalls

As nation after nation

In arrogance denied its power

Embittered as she realized

The folly of her game

Pandora weeps in sadness

T’is but the birthing of her sorrow

For humanity and life at large

Forever would be changed

By this, her unwise decision

So, let us all take heed

Of the warning on the label

And leave alone Pandora’s box

Lest we live again the fable.